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NITED STATES PATENT OFF CE.

ALFRED J. SHIPLEY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SCOVILL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPACER-BUTTON.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,143, dated October 15, 1895.

Application filed August 16,1895. Serial No. 559.553. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED J. SHIPLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spacer-Buttons, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

I have herein designated the button of this invention as a spacer-button in order to differentiate it, and also because of the fact that its shank is elongated by the'addition of a spacer or piece of metal for-the purpose of causing the body or head of the button to stand off from the fabric to which it is attached the requisite distance to receive thatwhich is to be applied to the button.

The invention relates to tack-fastened buttons made of metal; and the invention consists of a button having a spacer or shankelongating device composed of a flaring ring of metal folded together and connected to the back, body, or head of the button by means of a tubular fastening device, such as an eyelet or a hollow rivet, substantially as I will proceed now more particularly to set forth and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the button attached to a piece of fabric. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the closed-face button shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating an eyelet which may be used as the tubular fastening for connecting the spacer to the head of the button. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of an open-face button, illustrating a hollow rivet or headed eyelet which may be used as the tubular fastening for connecting the spacer to the head of the button. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of another form of one-piece or open-face button, showing a further modification of the tubular fastoning; and Fig. 5 is a similar section showing the same sort of tubular fastening used in a covered button.

The various figures of the drawings are purposely exaggerated in order the more clearly to illustrate the invention.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and 5, a is the face of the button, preferably made with a central depression I; and connected with the back oby fla'nging over its rim, as at d. The

back 0 is made with a central depression 6,

forming a part of the shank. The spacer f is a flaring ring-like piece of metal folded upon itself to form a pocket. In Figs. 1 and 2, g is an eyelet, of ordinary construction or other approved construction, one end of which is inserted in the pocketof the spacer and the other end of which is contained within the back of the button, and when upset the said eyelet constitutes one form of tubular fastening, which serves firmly to unite the spacer and the button-head.

In order to attach'a button such as that described to a garment, which may be represented by the full lines h, Fig. 1, and dotted section h, Fig. 2, the tack 'i, also represented in dotted lines, Fig. 2, may be inserted point foremost from the rear of the fabric through the spacer and eyelet and its point upset against the under side of the central depression 1) of the face of the button, and such point curled over upon and in contact with the inner member of the folded spacer, so as to bear upon such spacer and eyelet.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the head or body j is made as an open-face button-that is to say, it has no face-piece, such as a in Figs. 1 and 2-and its central depression or shank it has added to 'it the spacer f, constructed as before, and such spacer and the head of the button are united by the hollow rivet or headed eyelet Z, within which the point of the tack is upset and curled over upon the inner member of the folded spacer, as before. The employment of a hollow rivet or headed eyelet in the open-face button is desirable for the reason that it conceals the otherwise unsightly upset end of the tack and makes a sightly finish when the button is applied.

The hollow rivets or headed eyelets in Figs. 3 and 4 differ in the convexity of their heads and in the sizes of cavities within them for the reception of the tack' and in the closeness of the fit within the hub or shank of the button. It will be observed that the rivet or headed eyelet of Fig. at has its head flattened down upon its shank. These hollow rivets or headed eyelets may be made of steel, in order to serve most efliciently in upsetting thepoints of the tacks.

It is obvious that the hollow rivet or headed eyelet may be employed also in the closedface button, as shown of one form, Fig. 5,, and a it is also obvious that the ordinaryopen'ended eyelet may be employed in the open-face butt ton; but a button of the last-named class having the open-ended eyelet will be subject to 3 menthe objection of unsightliness before tioned.

I do not limit my invention to a i lded,

spacer, the outer and inner members of which are of equal length, as shown in Figs. '2 and 3, since it is obvious that these members may be made of difierent lengths-as shown, for

instance, in Fig. 4-the inner member being 1 usually the shorter. The spacer being flared its inner member forms an inwardly-conver ing passage-way for the tack, and thereby facilitates the entrance of the tack into the button. Another advantage in making the spacer flaring is that it serves to gain a broader base of contact of the button with the fabric or garment and serves as a sort of washer between the button-head and the garment.

It will be observed that the spacer is not 'back and a spacer or shank-elongating device constructed of a piece of metal folded upon itself to form a pocket, and an internal tubularmedium, such as an eyelet ora hollow rivet, inserted in the head, body or back of the but ton and extended within and between the folded members of the spacer or shank-elongating device, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of August, A. D. 1895.

ALFRED J. SHIPLEY. Witnesses:

T. R. HYDE, J r., CHARLES FBI-IL. 

